Telugu poet Varavara Rao produced in Karnataka court

He is an accused in 2005 naxal attack case

Karnataka Police bringing Telugu Poet and activist Varavara Rao to the civil judge additional at JMFC Pavagada in Tumakuru District from Yerawada Central Jail, Pune in Pavagada on 04 July 2019.

Telugu poet and activist Varavara Rao was produced in the court of the Additional Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Pavagada, Tumakuru district, on Thursday.

He is Accused No. 12 in the naxal attack case in which seven people, including six Karnataka Special Reserve Police (KSRP) personnel, were killed in Venkatammanahalli, Pavagada taluk. The KSRP battalion was camping in the area when naxals attacked on February 10, 2005.

As the appeal by the Karnataka police had been admitted in the High Court, Mr. Rao was produced in the court.

Hundreds of police personnel were deployed on the court premises. Mr. Rao was brought in a police van amid tight security to the court hall.

Superintendent of Police Vamshikrishna and Additional Superintendent of Police Shobharani and other officers were present.

Mr. Rao was earlier arrested on August 28 over an alleged plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Four other activists — Gautam Navlakha, Sudha Bhardwaj, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves — were also arrested from various States in the same case.